This Video Shows You How Badly the Sun Damages Your Skin

Cancer experts and dermatologists have told us many times that too much unprotected exposure to the sun and its ultraviolet rays will damage our skin and put us at a greater risk for developing skin cancer. Even normal, daily exposure to the sun on our faces harms our skin and ages us prematurely. And a new video may prove just that.

Artist and videographer Thomas Leveritt hit the streets with a camera that can capture ultraviolet light to show people what they can’t see. What’s revealed is the damage the sun has done to their skin that’s invisible to us because our eyes can’t see ultraviolet light. He also captured the skin of children to show how our skin starts fresh and gets damaged over time.

The video also shows just how good sunscreen is at blocking ultraviolet rays. When participants put on sun block, their skin turned black, showing that the ultraviolet rays were not getting through. According to Leveritt, “We showed people what they looked like in ultraviolet and wondered aloud if they wanted to put on some damn sunscreen already.”

Perhaps it’s time to apply sunscreen in front of a camera that senses ultraviolet light—that way we'd know we're getting good coverage and protection.